McDannel, Allen

MCDANNEL

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 3/14/2008 at 14:32:21

Allen McDannel

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.151, Lincoln Twp.)
Allen McDannel, farmer, P. O. Walnut, born in Knox County, Tenn., February 16, 1834, son of John and Nancy (Dail) McDannel; he, a farmer born in Knox County, Tenn.; she, born in Greene County, Tenn., died in Knox County, Tenn., in 1839. They had five children, viz., James, Allen, Polly Ann, Sarah E., and Nancy. Subject is a self-taught man, never having attended a school; commenced life as a farmer, and married in Jasper County, this State, December 14, 1854, Sarah Murphy, born in Knox County, Tenn., March 26, 1838, daughter of William and Sarah Murphy, both natives of Ireland. Subject enlisted, in 1863, in Company L, Nineth Iowa Cavalry, for three years, or during the war and was a wagon-master. He is a Methodist, a Democrat; and when quite young his father, who was a planter, lost his property, and in 1852, subject was thrown upon his own resources; emigrated to Iowa, working on farms until he saved enough money to buy forty acres of land in Jasper County, this State; improved it; sold out and purchased forty-five acres in same county; sold out in 1871; moved to what was then known as Knox Township, but is now Lincoln, in this county, where he bought eighty acres of land, living upon it for a short time; he sold out and purchased 144 acres of land in northeast quarter of Section 3, Range 38, Lincoln Township, where he now lives. Although not having an opportunity of attending school, he does everything in his power to promote education, and agitated the school question in the esatern division of the township. Mr. and Mrs. McDannel have had fourteen children, viz., William F., born January 21, 1856; George W., born January 12, 1857; Viola, born March 6, 1858; Montgomery, born in 1862; Robert A., born November 1862, died November 1864; Morrell C., born December 1, 1866; Jessie, born April 3, 1868; Dennis M. born November 24, 1870; Evylin born December 16, 1869, died January 16, 1870; Walter A., born September 21, 1872, died January 28, 1874; Jennie N., born January 28, 1874, one who was never named; Sarah, born January 1, 1877, and Grace M., born March 16, 1879.